Back to Topic 20.13 — Impact of the Second World War on South-East Asia
20.13.2History HL12 flashcards

Nationalism, Independence Leaders and a Case Study: South-East Asia after Japanese Occupation

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Card 1 of 1220.13.2
20.13.2
Question

What was PETA, and why did it matter for Indonesian independence?

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All 12 Flashcards — Nationalism, Independence Leaders and a Case Study: South-East Asia after Japanese Occupation

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Card 1concept

Question

What was PETA, and why did it matter for Indonesian independence?

Answer

PETA (Defenders of the Homeland) was a Japanese-sponsored Indonesian militia that gave Sukarno's movement trained fighters and weapons, later used to resist Dutch reconquest.

Card 2definition

Question

When did Sukarno declare Indonesian independence, and how soon after Japan's surrender?

Answer

17 August 1945 — just two days after Japan's surrender.

Card 3concept

Question

Who led the Viet Minh, and when was Vietnamese independence declared?

Answer

Ho Chi Minh led the Viet Minh; independence was declared in Hanoi in September 1945.

Card 4definition

Question

What was the MPAJA?

Answer

The Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army — a mostly Chinese, communist-led guerrilla resistance force in Malaya, supplied by the British (Force 136).

Card 5concept

Question

Who was Tunku Abdul Rahman and what did he achieve?

Answer

A Malay political leader who unified nationalist demands after WWII, led UMNO, and negotiated Malayan independence, achieved in 1957.

Card 6comparison

Question

Why did Malayan independence take until 1957 while Indonesia and Vietnam declared independence in 1945?

Answer

Britain reoccupied Malaya quickly and kept firm control, unlike the weaker/delayed return of Dutch and French forces in Indonesia and Vietnam.

Card 7process

Question

What was the Round Table Conference (1949)?

Answer

A Hague conference where the Netherlands, under military stalemate and US pressure, agreed to formally transfer sovereignty to Indonesia in December 1949.

Card 8process

Question

What role did US pressure play in Indonesian independence?

Answer

The US threatened to cut Marshall Plan aid to the Netherlands unless it negotiated with Indonesian nationalists, helping force the 1949 settlement.

Card 9example

Question

Why is the Philippines a good case-study choice for this section?

Answer

Independence had already been promised pre-war (1934 Tydings–McDuffie Act, effective 1946), so the war's main effect was destruction and a communist insurgency, not the cause of independence.

Card 10definition

Question

What was the Hukbalahap?

Answer

A communist-led Filipino resistance movement that fought Japanese occupation and later turned against the post-war government.

Card 11example

Question

What happened in the Battle of Manila (1945)?

Answer

A devastating battle as US forces retook the Philippine capital from Japan, killing over 100,000 civilians and destroying much of the city.

Card 12comparison

Question

Compare resistance and collaboration in Indonesia during Japanese occupation.

Answer

Sukarno collaborated tactically (gaining a platform and PETA training) while some pemuda (youth) groups pushed for more open resistance — showing both strategies operated at once.

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